This invention relates to photographic lighting apparatus.
It is common practice, particularly in studio photography, to light a subject from various directions, such as from the front, back or sides, or from combinations of these, and special visual effects can be produced by using coloured or patterned lighting on a screen behind the subject so that the subject appears against such a background. It is well known to set up such lighting effects using normal tungsten or other lamps, in order that a simulation of the final effect is given, and to then carry out the actual photography using flash.
In order to set up the simulation and final flash effects, lamps are mounted on stands and are adjusted as required. Each individual photograph or group of photographs generally requires a separate assembly of lamps, screens and other equipment to produce the particular effect.
An alternative way of producing varied effects is to use double exposure techniques in which the subject is photographed against a neutral background, and a further photograph is then taken on the same negative using a coloured or illuminated screen or some other effect, so that, when the photograph is printed, the subject appears to be against the chosen background. Many different visual effects can be produced using this or other similar techniques, but the techniques used are time consuming and complex, and can be expensive in terms of the film quantity used.
It is the object of the invention to provide photographic lighting apparatus which allows many different effects to be produced, and which is relatively simple in construction and easy to use.